Jenny's Reviews

Lami’s love for her chickens will liven up everyone’s storytime. Kids and adults alike will enjoy the familiar mayhem and antics in this delightful board book, with full-page spreads of colorful illustrations that are rich with family and community. Loving lessons about leaning into your own giftedness and being unapologetically “you” are themes we all need to learn, no matter how old we are.  —JENNY

From the creator of Narwhal and Jelly, this new graphic novel series brings the potato puns and tater schtick to keep you in peals of laughter. A great match for families trying to bring some levity to sibling rivalry, this tale about spud siblings will remind the small fries in your home that a dash of silliness makes for better ways and happier days. 
—JENNY

Neal Bodenheimer, a native son of New Orleans, is on a mission to preserve the past and invent the classic cocktails of the future. He and his team do this every day at his James Beard Award–winning bar, Cure, and this eponymous gorgeous cocktail book gives you 100+ recipes, the cocktail myths and backstories, a NOLA cocktail bar bucket list, a classic dive bar list, and all the spritzing, squeezing, and straining techniques of master mixologists. All that’s missing is the actual bourbon and jazz!

—JENNY

Power couple Chris Mitchell and Pilar Guzman make home design look effortless and inviting by mixing modern design with timeworn materials, while keeping practicality a nonnegotiable. Not only are the ideas contained in Patina Modern beautiful and inspiring; the book itself is a design lover’s dream, with incredible photography and clean white space that draws your eye to read on. A directory in the back lists the pair’s favorite designers and their iconic pieces, spanning decades and continents. Truly a cover-to-cover experience in modern design. 
—JENNY 

Arianna Warsaw-Fan Rauch, with both credentials (Juilliard graduate) and witty disdain, speaks plainly about the common perception of classical music being for snobs and addresses the importance of better access to the arts in schools. She is passionate about making the classics accessible, and her strategy of helping people cultivate curiosity and of giving permission to not like whatever you don’t like, is surprisingly successful in demystifying the very broad category of classical music. 
—JENNY

This is a sad book. This is a funny book. This is a life book. Catherine Newman strikes a brilliant balance between the misery and humor that exists if we dare to live in the messiest—and sometimes the richest—parts of life. Readers who have walked through the illness and subsequent loss of someone dear will appreciate Newman’s adroit ability to somehow sidestep writing a “depressing” story and instead give us an honest story with misplaced laughter, inexcusable outbursts, unexplained behaviors, and the foods that help us eat our feelings when feeling them is too much.   

—JENNY

It’s always the right time for making new friends! But, just in case you need some ideas—good ones, silly ones, and questionable ones—Ways to Make Friends is the go-to book to get the conversation started. This book tells a new story every time you open it, with so much to discover in the playfully packed illustrations and silly suggestions. It's the perfect memory-making experience for story time. —Jenny

There are very good reasons why Archbishop Desmond Tutu was admired throughout the world. Reading God’s Dream to your children will start so many wonderful conversations and tap into themes of kindness, hurt, forgiveness, inclusion, and more of Tutu’s Ubuntu philosophy. The children are from diverse backgrounds, the illustrations a welcome reflection of the world we live in. A simple, tangible, and hopeful perspective on how we all can choose to walk through life.  —Jenny

If you love home design and DIY projects, this is a book you’ll be able to use for reference and inspiration. The New Design Rules is packed with beautiful style, helpful tips, and stunning photography, and includes all the basics you didn’t know you didn’t know. This book gave me the vision to “shop” what I already have in my own house—rearranging and reclaiming spaces that just needed some attention to bring beauty and whimsy I can appreciate every day.  —Jenny

Sally Schmitt, one of the originators of the California farm-to-table movement and founder of French Laundry in Napa Valley, invites us into the six kitchens—both personal and professional—that shaped her culinary philosophy and life. Filled with stories, recipes, and history, Six California Kitchens celebrates Schmitt’s dedication to “sharing the joy of cooking with hope, gentleness, and love” and will kindle your own memories of kitchens and food cooked with care.  —Jenny